Alf Stewart
Alfred "Alf" James Stewart is the longest serving character of Home and Away since 1988. He is the father to his four children, Roo Stewart, Duncan Stewart, Owen Dalby and Quinn Jackson. He's also the stepfather of Shauna Bradley; the husband of Martha Stewart; the widower of Ailsa Hogan; and the grandfather to Martha MacKenzie, Bryce Stewart, Ric Dalby and Ryder Jackson. Early Life In his early years, Alf was described as a "good-natured rogue with a finger in every pie" He was born in Summer Bay and lived with his parents Gordon and Sarah-Jane Stewart. Although Gordon had wanted more sons, he ended up with four daughters instead. When Alf left school, he began to take an interest in business when, in a bid to make his son more independent, Gordon informed him he would receive no financial help. Gordon even went so far as to ban Alf from his boatyard and yacht brokerage business, telling him to make his own fortune. It was hard work, but Alf was determined to prove himself and, by the time he was 30, owned the Summer Bay Liquor Store, the Summer Bay Caravan Park, a boat hire service, and even his own yacht brokerage in opposition to his father. Storylines Backstory Alf married a local woman called Martha Baldivis and they moved into the Summer Bay House at the Caravan Park. They had a daughter called Ruth. In 1985, Martha drowned in a boating accident and Alf decided that he could no longer live there and he let the Caravan Park decline, but looked after the house. He met Ailsa Hogan and they began dating, despite Ruth's dislike of her. Alf decides to sell the business and home to Tom and Pippa Fletcher. 1988– Alf first appears in the pilot episode of the show, in which he sells the Summer Bay Caravan Park to Tom and Pippa Fletcher, unable to cope with living there following the death of his wife, Martha, three years earlier. By now Alf is involved in a relationship with general store owner Ailsa, who he marries in 1988, despite the disapproval of his daughter Ruth (Roo) and the revelation that Ailsa was convicted of the murder of her abusive father. After briefly separating, Alf and Ailsa reunite in late 1988, unexpectedly becoming parents to Duncan the following year. Alf later discovers he has a daughter, Quinn Jackson, from a previous relationship, but she rejects her father. In 2000, Ailsa reveals she also has another child, conceived after she was raped by a prison guard. This child turns out to be Shauna Bradley, who already lives in Summer Bay. In 2001 Ailsa collapses and dies suddenly as the result of an undiscovered heart condition. Two years later a still distraught Alf has a nervous breakdown and begins seeing visions of his dead wife. It's later discovered he has a brain tumour. In 2004 Alf discovers he has another long-lost child when he is reunited with his terminally ill former girlfriend, Viv Standish. The revelation leads Alf to realise local bad boy Eric Dalby, whom he loathes, is his grandson. After a difficult start the two build a relationship. The following year Alf is reunited with yet another long-lost family member when Roo introduces him to Martha, the daughter she gave up for adoption in 1988. In 2008, Alf is left upset when his best friend Sally Fletcher decides to leave the Bay. Sally and her daughter return to the Bay five years later, and she reveals that her daughter is dying and the only way to save her is to go to America for treatment. Alf helps her raise the money for the treatment. Alf decides to visit the Canberra war memorial with some students when he realises they do not care about ANZAC Day. As he looks around the memorial, he starts to suffer flashbacks to his time in Vietnam. Later that night, the students and Alf sleep outdoors in trenches as part of the war experience. Alf continues to suffer flashbacks and wanders off by himself, before collapsing. He is taken to the hospital and diagnosed with PTSD. He initially refuses to deal with it, but eventually opens up to a therapist. When Roo finds love with James Edmunds when he returns to the bay. However, Alf is suspicious of him and for good reason. When Alf finds out that James has proposed to Rue and they are getting married he stops the wedding. Roo latter finds out that James was already married to another woman, and is thankful for Alf. Family and Relationships Alf previously was married to Ailsa Hogan before her death in 2000, and more recently found an interest in Bridget Simmons after being set-up together by his half-sister Colleen and his grand-daughter Martha; however, it was soon discovered that Bridget was purely it in for his money, and was a serial fraudster. Alf found out about Bridget's true colours after Leah Patterson-Baker's son VJ was kidnapped by Bridget's ex-lover and co-fraudster, Brian. Appearance Alf had light brown hair when he was young and later is bald. He wore many button up shirts and pants and always wore his signature hat. Characteristics Alf is commonly known for his use of declining Australian slang with sayings such as "strewth", "stone the flamin' crows", "flamin' mongrels", "flamin' gallah", "flamin' heck", "give me strength", "only bar in Riga" "strike me pink" "Hogan's ghost", "fair crack of the whip", "tucker" and "yarn" Characters Ric Dalby (who now lives interstate), and Martha MacKenzie are his grandchildren, and after a large look at the history of the family, Colleen Smart was found to be his half-sister. Trivia *He has been married twice. *Meagher was cast in the role of Alf after appearing as a supporting character in numerous roles *In 2010 Facebook fan pages caused controversy in the Australian media. One of the pages in question was titled Alf Stewart Rape Dungeon. *Meagher has won many awards for his portrayal of Alf. *Alf is the longest-serving character of the show since the beginning. *Meagher also portrays Gordon Stewart, Alf's father. Stewart, Alf Category:Main Characters Category:Stewart family Category:Manager Category:1980s Category:1990s Category:2000s Category:2010s Category:1988 arrivals Category:2017 Characters Category:2018 Characters Category:Fathers Category:Original Characters Category:Current Characters